Connecting At An Emotional Level
Recently I had the pleasure of spending a day in the company of Richard Wilkins, one of the most inspirational speakers I know. Richard styles himself as an Inspirational Speaker rather than a motivational one. So what’s the difference?
Well for me it’s because he connects with his audience on an emotional level within seconds of opening his mouth. Richard tells stories about his own life which resonate with his audience.
He doesn’t so much talk about what he did, as how he felt and that, in my opinion, is the key to his success.
We are all emotional beings and in order to influence people to take action, we need to connect with them on an emotional level.
It is all too common to hear business presenters drone on giving facts, figures and other data without once talking about feelings.
So what stops us? Well I believe that fundamentally it is fear. Fear of showing our vulnerability and looking stupid in the eyes of others. The intention behind this is obviously a valuable one, we don’t share our emotions because we want to “stay safe” but at what cost..?
Richard shared an experience he had when invited speak in Denmark for the first time. He was just about to go on stage when his little internal voice said “But their Danish! They won’t understand your English etc..”
Richard felt panic rising in his chest so what did he do? Well h went on stage and shared his fears with his audience and the result was a thunderous round of applause. Here was a speaker who was authentic!
So next time you have to address an audience, take a little risk and share a little about how you are feeling. Imagine the impact that really connecting with your audience on an emotional level will have on your ability to inspire and influence.
